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2023 Hyundai Santa Fe

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 212.5.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 19 of 207 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Power Train. Review the 44 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 36 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 35 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

11 crash reports3 fire reports10 injury reports

What owners actually said

207 reports
Mileage unknown · Dec 17, 2025
Electrical System

Both horns on my 2023 Hyundai Santa FE have failed 3 times. The first set was covered under warranty (3/24), the second set cost $499.64 (3/25). Now both horns are nonfunctional after just being replaced this Spring. After reviewing many complaints on the Hyundai community form, it is very obvious there is a major issue with the…

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Both horns on my 2023 Hyundai Santa FE have failed 3 times. The first set was covered under warranty (3/24), the second set cost $499.64 (3/25). Now both horns are nonfunctional after just being replaced this Spring. After reviewing many complaints on the Hyundai community form, it is very obvious there is a major issue with their horns ( and not just the Santa Fe model). Twice this week I was in need of my horn to alert other drivers but instead had to make quick maneuvers to avoid an incident. My vehicle currently cannot pass a state inspection.

NHTSA ODI #11705523

Mileage unknown · Dec 11, 2025
Unknown Or Other

The horn has broken 4 times. I was told that it is a design defect in the car and there is no permanent fix. Water gets in to the horn when it rains and because of the location of the horn it would have to be moved to fix it. Hyundai is aware of this safety issue and has not issued a recall because there is no permanent fix. The…

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The horn has broken 4 times. I was told that it is a design defect in the car and there is no permanent fix. Water gets in to the horn when it rains and because of the location of the horn it would have to be moved to fix it. Hyundai is aware of this safety issue and has not issued a recall because there is no permanent fix. They are supposed to be buying back my car but are dragging their feet. I'm sure this is an issue in more than just my car and it's very unsafe for the horn to just stop working.

NHTSA ODI #11704405

Mileage unknown · Dec 10, 2025
Power Train

The vehicle cannot pick up speed, and it is displaying the DTC- P1C2D03. This is similar to the issues that led to "Safety Recall 236 to repair a condition involving the 8-Speed Dual-Clutch Transmission (DCT) system" in earlier model years (till 2022) for certain Hyundai and Kia vehicles. NHTSA should issue a recall for 2023 mod…

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The vehicle cannot pick up speed, and it is displaying the DTC- P1C2D03. This is similar to the issues that led to "Safety Recall 236 to repair a condition involving the 8-Speed Dual-Clutch Transmission (DCT) system" in earlier model years (till 2022) for certain Hyundai and Kia vehicles. NHTSA should issue a recall for 2023 model years also as Hyundai has not addressed this issue to the fullest extent in 2023 model years.

NHTSA ODI #11704184

Mileage unknown · Dec 8, 2025
Electrical SystemEngineForward Collision Avoidance

On a clear road a sencor comes on detect comes on says detection collision. The breaks come on when you are traveling on interstate or two lane roads. When you are traveling 75 mph and breaks come on all of a sudden on the highway. We are lucky we never got hit in the back of the car going that fast. We will stop 75 to 35 mph in…

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On a clear road a sencor comes on detect comes on says detection collision. The breaks come on when you are traveling on interstate or two lane roads. When you are traveling 75 mph and breaks come on all of a sudden on the highway. We are lucky we never got hit in the back of the car going that fast. We will stop 75 to 35 mph in 10 seconds.

NHTSA ODI #11703865

Mileage unknown · Nov 21, 2025
Electrical System

At stop sign and car with auto start stop on and at the time of releasing the brake, car was not able to start engine. Car had to be shifted to parking position to start engine.

NHTSA ODI #11700865

Mileage unknown · Nov 19, 2025
Electrical SystemUnknown Or Other

Horn has failed 4 times

NHTSA ODI #11700281

Mileage unknown · Nov 18, 2025
Unknown Or Other

Horn has needed to be replaced twice. Stops working for no apparent reason.

NHTSA ODI #11700193

Mileage unknown · Nov 14, 2025
Electrical SystemForward Collision AvoidanceService Brakes

Component/System: Automatic Emergency Braking / Forward Collision-Avoidance (AEB/FCA) system and/or Electronic Parking Brake (EPB). The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. What happened: While driving my 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe (VIN: XXX) at highway speeds, the vehicle suddenly and aggressively applied the emergency…

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Component/System: Automatic Emergency Braking / Forward Collision-Avoidance (AEB/FCA) system and/or Electronic Parking Brake (EPB). The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. What happened: While driving my 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe (VIN: XXX) at highway speeds, the vehicle suddenly and aggressively applied the emergency braking system on two separate occasions within the same day (approximately 45–60 minutes apart). In both instances, the red emergency braking warning lights illuminated on the dashboard, and a warning sound activated. There were no vehicles, obstacles, or hazards in front of me either time. The braking was forceful and abrupt, causing rapid deceleration at highway speed. Both events occurred under normal, clear driving conditions. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) Safety risk: My safety and the safety of other drivers were put at significant risk. Sudden unintended braking at highway speeds can easily lead to a rear-end collision since the deceleration was not caused by driver input and gave no warning. Reproduction / dealer confirmation: The dealer has not been able to reproduce the issue, and no diagnostic trouble codes have been found so far. The vehicle is currently at the dealership for inspection. Inspection: The vehicle has been inspected by the Hyundai dealership, but the cause has not been identified. No manufacturer field engineer, police, or insurance inspection has taken place yet. Warning lamps / prior symptoms: During the failures, the red emergency braking indicator and audible warning activated immediately when the brakes engaged. There were no warning lights or symptoms prior to either event. Assessment: Cause UNKNOWN. The problem appears to be an intermittent malfunction of the Automatic Emergency Braking system, forward collision sensors, or related braking components. No diagnostic codes were stored. This is a serious safety issue that occurred twice within one hour and could easily result in a collision.

NHTSA ODI #11699416

Mileage unknown · Nov 10, 2025
Unknown Or OtherInjury

The sunroof on my 2023 Santa Fe exploded.

NHTSA ODI #11698506

Mileage unknown · Oct 31, 2025
Service Brakes

The vehicle front brake disks are not compatible for this vehicle. The action of braking causes heating of the disks. The disks warp due to the heat. The result is when braking at highway speeds, the entire front end vibrates excessively. This is unsafe in wet or snowy conditions as this greatly decreases the braking efficiency.…

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The vehicle front brake disks are not compatible for this vehicle. The action of braking causes heating of the disks. The disks warp due to the heat. The result is when braking at highway speeds, the entire front end vibrates excessively. This is unsafe in wet or snowy conditions as this greatly decreases the braking efficiency. The first time this was observed the vehicle had 22,000 miles and the dealership machined the rotors. The second time it happened at vehicle mileage of 32,000. Once again the rotors were 'machined' by the dealership. The action of braking at highway speeds and the resulting front end vibrations is a troublesome event. If this occurs a third time, I will try to find and install non-Hyundai disks.

NHTSA ODI #11696871

Official recalls

1

23V181000 · Trailer Hitches

Mar 17, 2023

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2019-2023 Santa Fe, 2021-2023 Santa Fe HEV, 2022-2023 Santa Fe Plug-in HEV and Santa Cruz vehicles potentially equipped with a tow hitch harness installed as original equipment, or purchased as an accessory through a Hyundai dealership. Water accumulation on the tow hitch harness module printed circuit board (PCB) may cause an electrical short, which can result in a fire.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.

Remedy: Owners are advised to park their vehicles outside and away from structures until the remedy is completed. Dealers will install a new fuse and wire extension kit as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed starting May 16, 2023. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 244. This recall is an expansion of previous recall number 22V-633.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.